A screenshot of the CodeRED enrollment page. (Courtesy Bedford Police and Fire Departments)

BEDFORD — Police Chief Robert Bongiorno and Fire Chief David Grunes are pleased to announce that the Town of Bedford has enrolled in the “text to enroll” program from OnSolve (CodeRED), a new feature of the Town’s Emergency Communication System.

All residents and businesses are invited to register for the CodeRED notification system to receive alerts and updates during emergency events.

Sign up is available either online or on a mobile device, allowing users to receive notifications about missing children or missing persons, criminal activity, fires, drinking water contamination, utility outages, traffic conditions, various threats to people or the environment, and other incidents as deemed necessary by town public safety officials.

“The CodeRED notification system is very easy to use, and we encourage all residents in Bedford to take advantage of it so they can stay informed when an emergency occurs,” Chief Bongiorno said. “With people relying so heavily on their cell phones these days, having important alerts delivered directly to mobile devices allows us to reach a significant percentage of our residents in an instant.”

To enroll on a mobile device, text BEDFORDALERTS to 99411 to receive a direct link to the enrollment form.

To create an account, users will be asked to either log-in via Google, Facebook or Twitter, or create a separate account with a unique username and password. On the next page users will be asked to enter their name, address, phone number, mobile provider, email address and which types of alerts they would like to receive (emergency or emergency/general).

After agreeing to terms and conditions and verifying contact information, users will be successfully enrolled in the program.

“Time can be of the essence during an emergency, and this system will help us reach residents in a timely and efficient way,” Chief Grunes said. “You never want an emergency to occur, but it is important to be as prepared as possible when one does, and the CodeRED system helps us do just that.”